Fresh water Wetlands - Myristica Swamps of Western Ghats

The Western Ghats is among the thirty-four global biodiversity hotspots of the world. From among the incredible diversity of ecosystems, there is rare fresh water wetlands found in Western Ghats with unique assemblage of floral and faunal biodiversity. Popularly known as Myristica swamps, these freshwater swamp forest ecosystem is confined to low altitudes characterized by slow flowing streams of Western Ghats river systems. Myristica swamps have been recorded from Goa, Karnataka and Kerala in India. Trees belonging to a primitive family of angiosperms; "Myristicaceae" are the dominant tree species of this unique wetland ecosystem. Most of Myristicaceae family members are capable of producing aerial roots when faced with unfavorable conditions.

Hence the Myristica species found in these exceptional wetlands have adaptations such as knee roots for the anaerobic condition of the swamps, and stilt root for anchoring the tree species in damp soil. Other than Myristicaceae family species members of other families such as Celestraceae, Diptereocarpaceae, Anacardiaceae, Xanthophyllaceae and others are significant part of this swamp community. Ground vegetation is not dense and the dominant ground vegetation is belonging to Araceae, Zingiberace and Acanthaceae families. Some of these swamps are considered even as sacred groves and have thus ecoheritage value. These swamps having variety of microhabitats which provides favorable conditions for survival and procreation of many annelids, arthropods, molluscs, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Many of these animals found in the Myristica swamps are endemic and some are on the red-list of IUCN. More importantly this wetlands also play a critical role in water storing and maintaining ground water level. Myristica swamps are critically endangered ecosystem in Western Ghats.(Roby and Nair 2006)

Myristica swamps of Southern Kerala

About 53 patches of Myristica swamps have been recorded from the Kulathupuzha, Anchal forest ranges and Shendurny Wildlife Sanctuary of the Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Southern Kerala. A total of 65 tree species and 72 species of shrub-herb combine were recorded from the Myristica swamps. Two species of earthworms, three species of crabs, ten species of fishes, thirty four species of amphibians, thirty three species of reptiles, fifty eight species of birds and twenty one species of mammals have been recorded as present in the swamps. In addition to this annelids and arthropods are also being recorded.

Myristica swamps in Southern Kerala as on October 2005

Tree species reported from Kulathupuzha Myristica swamps

* Endemic to: Western Ghats

Shrub and herb species recorded from Kulathupuzha Myristica swamps

* Endemic to: Western Ghats

Source: Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) http://www.kfri.org